The father-of-two wrote about his drug use throughout his career in a new autobiography, and said he would continue to take drugs recreationally provided it did not disrupt his life.

Dyer, who starred in 90s clubbing film Human Traffic and has presented cult TV shows about football hooligans, said he felt he could balance his drug use with his career and parenthood.

He wrote in the opening pages of his book: ''I've always taken drugs and I probably always will, but there's a difference between having the odd crafty bump up the snout as a reward for a job well done and letting it rule your life.''

Speaking about Danny Dyer: Straight Up, published on Thursday, he said: ''You can't brush it under the carpet and try and pretend it doesn't happen, because it does happen. It happens all over the world every night, millions and millions of people.

''And it can have a terrible effect on people, and other people can deal with it and get on with their lives and never lose a job and bring up their children, and be fine with it. I think everything in moderation.''

Related Articles

He said he did not feel he needed to draw a veil over his drug use, adding: ''It's not like I'm a Blue Peter presenter is it?''

Dyer sparked a furore earlier this year after his advice column in a men's magazine suggested a reader should scar his girlfriend for dumping him.

He was axed from Zoo magazine over the incident, which was blamed at the time on a production error.

In his book he said the comment had been made as a ''tasteless joke'' to the journalist who ghosted the column, which he immediately regretted. But he said the fault lay with the magazine for publishing it.

Dyer wrote: ''As a joke – a bad joke – I said to the journalist 'maybe he should cut her face so no one would want her'.

''Why did I say that? Because it's a ridiculous thing to say. It was a rubbish tasteless joke. Even as it came out of my mouth I wasn't proud of it. I was more embarrassed than anything. But I never thought for a second that (the Zoo journalist) would stick it in the magazine.''

He added: ''They made a decision to print something they should never have printed and then they tried to turn on me.

''The idea of me putting my name to a column that I never wrote was a ridiculous thing for me to do, a bad decision and I learnt from it."

Dyer, who has also appeared in hooligan film The Football Factory, said he has been typecast for too long as a hard man but is confident his next role, playing an abusive serial killer, will change that.

He said: ''I play this serial killer who likes to kidnap women and abuse them and then kill them.''